Keen collector rescues Gallipoli relic from garage sale

A World War I medal belonging to a Victoria Cross (VC) winner has been found at a garage sale in Melbourne and donated to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

A shopper with a keen eye for military memorabilia snapped up the medal for a bargain price.

"She had a tin with medals and a couple of buttons, just a couple of knick knacks," said John Baker.

"She said, 'That'll be $30', so I paid $30."

One of the medals turned out to be a Victory Medal, a decoration that was issued to all Australians who fought in WWI.

It was later discovered the particular medal Mr Baker purchased belonged to Alexander Stewart Burton, a decorated soldier who fought at Gallipoli in 1915.

Mr Burton was killed at Lone Pine and was posthumously awarded a VC for his bravery in the trenches.

Mr Baker said it took him seven years to connect the medal to Mr Burton.

"We had a night at our coin club and a member of our club who is quite 'up' on medals told me the person probably fought at Gallipoli because the service number, 384, was quite early," he said.

"I took that piece of knowledge and my wife Margaret looked it up on the Australian War Memorial website."

Mr Baker has now donated the medal to the Memorial.

It will be displayed alongside Mr Burton's VC, which is already in the Memorial's collection.

Mr Baker also tracked down Mr Burton's descendants in Euroa in north-east country Victoria.

"I couldn't believe my ears when he came into the shop and said he had this medal" said nephew Andrew Burton.

He says he hopes the discovery will encourage other Australians to look closely at any war medals they have.

"Get out the medals of your grandparents, have a look at them," Mr Burton said.

"Take them to the RSL [Returned and Services League] club or ring the Memorial and tell them you've got them."

War Memorial director Brendan Nelson said the Memorial is planning an 'Antiques Roadshow'-style event as part of travelling exhibitions around Australia in the centenary of the Gallipoli landings in 2015.

Dr Nelson says Australians will be able to have war medals in their possession assessed by Memorial staff.

"Get your stuff ready because in a couple of years we'll be coming to you," he said.

"Go and have a look in your attic, have a look in that old box.

"That medal that you have, that you put out in a garage sale for goodness sake, might actually have immense value.

"Not just monetary value but more importantly historical value."

Despite having a good eye for finding treasure among the bric-a-brac, Mr Baker says his days of trawling through garage sales are over.